


Diabolical

by MagpieMorality



Series: Writepie Prompt Fills [7]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gaslighting, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Multi, Superheroes, The Boys au, Unsympathetic Morality | Patton Sanders, powers, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpieMorality/pseuds/MagpieMorality
Summary: All his life Virgil has wanted to belong to a team. Now, in his early adulthood, his dreams are about to come true as he's invited to join the premiere superhero team of the US, and possibly the world; the Frontline.But in a world where the most powerful elite are running unchecked with the significant weight of the Sanders Corp behind them, is everything the glitters truly gold? Or will Virgil discover the gilding only serves to cover dark secrets?
Series: Writepie Prompt Fills [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638634
Comments: 14
Kudos: 39





	Diabolical

**Author's Note:**

> Big WARNING for Unsympathetic!Patton and implied abuse. Some mild abusive behaviours; emotional/gaslighting used in the second section between the line breaks. 
> 
> This is an au based on The Boys, so if you've seen that you may be able to figure out a bit of what's going on, but I have scrambled the story up a fair bit so hopefully it's not like reading a copy pasted plot!

Today was the best day of Virgil’s life. Because today was the day that he, of all the people in the whole wide world, got to join the premiere superhero team of America- the Frontline.

The Frontline were a collection of hand-picked superheroes that defended the United States and occasionally the wider world, staving off terrorist attacks and protecting cities from natural disasters and occasionally rescuing kittens from trees, because they were just _good_ like that. Humble and benevolent and loyal and _super_.

Virgil had been a fan for years, like basically everyone who had access to social media of some kind. He followed their exploits and trained along to their regimen and collected their posters and action figures and stickers, and today he was not only going to meet them; he was going to _join_ them!

It had been a difficult audition process, and actually he _had_ met most of them at least once by now. That had been… weird? But cool, undeniably cool. Oh and he would get a new outfit to go with his upgraded status. Apparently his hoodie and converse didn’t quite cut it as a celebrity superhero, who knew?

So here Virgil was; sitting in the building lobby of the company that ran the team, Sanders Corp, and waiting to be collected for his initiation and welcome meeting. He was alternating between chewing his fingernails and picking at the black nail polish, wondering if he should’ve dressed up more for the occasion. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t be doing any public appearances for a while yet, but maybe he was wrong? Maybe he was going to be caught on camera while looking like the emo teenage nightmare he truly was?! Why didn’t he think to double check-

“Hey kid.” He startled, looking up to see a man standing in front of him with a bemused smile. And not just any man; The Deceiver, the shape-shifting superhero and member of the Frontline. Virgil had met him once before very briefly and he’d been a little off, but today he looked different. Not like, _shape-shifting_ different, just normally different.

“Hey,” Virgil finally replied, standing up and hefting his backpack over his shoulder. “Sorry I just zoned out there.”

The Deceiver snorted softly, but his eyes hadn’t left Virgil yet and there was something else there that didn’t match the smile on his lips. “It’s gotta be nerve-wracking, don’t worry about it. This is a big change. But you gotta focus up now kid, the big leagues aren’t like anything you’ve ever known.” He placed a gloved hand on Virgil’s shoulder, voice low and suddenly filled with an unbearable intensity. It resonated inside Virgil’s head like a warning somehow, but the superhero ( _other_ superhero, and boy would that take some getting used to) was just smiling enigmatically once again and nodding him in the right direction.

They walked straight through the security barriers with just a nod from the superhero to the blank-faced receptionist, and as they ascended the tall escalator Virgil took a chance to look around. The building was enormous and striking, and a little intimidating if he was honest, full of pristine white marble and exposing glass walls. The Deceiver nudged him gently when they got near the top, that same strange smile still on his face. Now that Virgil had had a chance to think about it he thought it was oddly melancholic; sad and a little resigned. The guy also looked pretty tired, covered in bruises and the end of a split lip.

Virgil’s eyes widened when he realised the marks probably came from a recent mission, and he abruptly remembered that the whole reason he was here now was because of an unfortunate forced retirement from the team that had left them a member short. So of _course_ the guy would be tired, and of _course_ he would look a bit melancholy, having lost one of his teammates and probably one of his friends to what had sounded like a _quite literally_ _crippling_ mission gone wrong.

“I’m sorry,” Virgil offered quietly. The Deceiver stared at him and he explained, “about Narco? That must really suck.”

“Narco-” The Deceiver murmured to himself, eyes widening when he twigged. Virgil thought it was maybe a little bit odd that he’d had to think about it, but the guy was tired, it did make sense. “Oh, right. Yeah, that sucked pretty bad. They were… They’re missed.”

Virgil nodded, trying his best to offer a sympathetic smile. The Deceiver chewed on his lip with a thousand yard stare for a minute, and just before they got to the top of the long escalator he stepped close, clasping Virgil’s shoulder tightly and murmuring whisper-quiet to him. “Listen kid, you seem nice. This is the only chance you’ve got to get out alive, okay? When we get to the top you turn round and go right back down, walk out of here and live your life. Do it, _please_ ,” he begged.

"What the f-” Virgil stared at him in confusion. 

“Just-”

“Virgil!” A bright, happy voice greeted them as they got to the top and an altogether scarier emotion flickered over The Deceiver’s face as he flinched, before he pulled up the same sad smile again.

“Too late kid. I’m so sorry,” he whispered, before letting go of Virgil and walking briskly off the top of the escalator to greet the man that awaited them.

It was the last member of the team that Virgil had to meet. The leader, their shining bright figurehead and the saviour of the world more than a few times over. Glorious and humble and utterly perfect in every way, somehow managing to be everyone’s best friend despite his status, winning the hearts of the media, elite and Average Joe alike. If there was one thing the entire US agreed on; it was that this man was the peak paragon of what humanity wanted to be.

It was Father Heartland, in the flesh.

* * *

Father Heartland- “Call me Patton!”- was just the _best_. Virgil had never felt so comfortable around someone in his entire life, and even the anxiety in the back of his mind was quietened just by the guy’s presence. Patton led the way through the building up into the Frontline’s floors, with The Deceiver trailing behind them until he slipped away with a murmur and a last mournful glance in Virgil’s direction.

Patton clapped a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts. “What’s going on in that head of yours then, kiddo?” He asked, bright blue eyes piercing into Virgil’s soul. Or at least it felt like it. Virgil just gave him an apologetic smile and shook his head.

“Oh, nothing important. Just… there’s a lot to take in, you know?” He admitted, and Patton smiled at him. It was the kind of smile that made Virgil want to fall to the floor and prostrate himself in worship; to offer anything Patton desired in order to be blessed by it again just once. He swallowed and managed to avoid doing anything too embarrassing, focusing instead on how warm Patton’s arm was, now thrown casually around his shoulders as he steered Virgil through the long, winding corridors.

Patton’s laugh was like music and Virgil’s resolve nearly crumbled. “Well that won’t do, silly, just relax and enjoy the ride! You’ll do just fine. I picked you myself!”

Virgil bit his lip and cast shy eyes at the su- the _other_ superhero. “Really?” He asked shyly. “You… picked _me_?”

“Well of course! I have final say over all the decisions the Frontline make- Sanders Corp always ask for my sign off first, you know. It’s a real honour, to be able to be so responsible for everyone, I’m just so happy they trust little old me!”

“Of course they would- you’re _you_!” Virgil said earnestly, and something flashed in Patton’s eyes and through his smile before his cheeks flushed a pretty pink and he turned bashful.

“Oh kiddo, thank you. Aren’t you just the sweetest?” They stopped in front of a door and Patton turned to face him directly as Virgil mourned the loss of the arm keeping him steady. “I knew you were going to be a great fit.”

Virgil’s knees weakened as Patton leaned forwards and gave him a tight squeeze, murmuring close to his ear, “I think I made the right choice. Can you do your best not to prove me wrong? You wouldn’t want to disappoint me would you?”

“Fuck no!” the younger superhero blurted out, making Patton pull back and gasp, tears glittering in his eyes.

“Oh, please don’t use that kind of language Virgil, I just can’t stand it,” Patton gasped, and Virgil’s gut _wrenched_ , filled with guilt. “Promise me?”

“I promise! I’m- I’m so sorry Patton, I’ll never do it again-”

“Good,” Patton sniffed, giving Virgil a watery, weak smile. “Thank you Virgil, I really appreciate it.” He brightened again and tossed a thumb in the direction of the door. “Now, this will be your room from now on. I see you brought some things with you but hopefully you’ll like everything we kitted it out with too! If you need anything- anything at all- just ring the intercom by the entrance and someone will get it for you, okay? Your thumbprint will unlock and lock the door. Good luck- bye now!”

Virgil collapsed inside the room in relief, leaning back on the door. His knees shook and gave in and he slid down to sit on the floor, heart hammering in the wake of such direct exposure to Father Heartland. He felt the weirdest urge to run after him and beg to follow him forever, but it was growing fainter by the second and eventually he felt he could breathe again.

The room, upon exploration, was pretty shockingly decadent. It consisted of several rooms; a reception room that the door opened onto, a kitchen/diner, a bedroom and a luxurious bathroom. His bag, when he dropped it on the drawers in his new room, looked laughably out of place and he frowned at it for a moment before brushing off the anxious thoughts that the sight elicited.

Everything was decorated in a lovely powder blue and cream with the same white marble scattered throughout. The windows faced onto the city and were the full height of the wall, which Virgil would have instantly hated if there weren’t a set of instructions showing him how to darken the glass and turn it opaque, written by hand and complete with a little smiley face that Virgil suspected meant it’d been written by Patton.

In the reception room, in addition to a set of plush couches and the largest tv screen he’d ever seen; there was a desk. On the desk were several induction booklets and something that looked like a phone, but not one he’d ever seen anything like before. It was thin and rounded, almost transparent from the side, but it buzzed when he picked it up and text flashed on the front.

_‘We’ll be having a team dinner tonight, can’t wait to get to know you better! Clothes in the closet, someone will come pick you up at 6:45 :) p.s. shower is voice activated ;)’_

Well, far be it for Virgil to over-analyse; but to him it seemed he hadn’t quite lived up to Patton’s expectations. Their leader clearly didn’t think much of his clothing, or his hygiene, so he’d have to do better at that in future. It was the early afternoon now, but that only left a couple of hour to get ready and change and get unpacked and-

Shit, he had to get started right now. Hopefully Patton would appreciate the effort. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too disappointed…

He _really_ didn’t want to disappoint Patton again.

* * *

Virgil was late. He didn't know how, having left a good clear hour to have been ready by, but he was late nonetheless. There had been an insistent beeping at his telecom thingy, through which a bored voice had informed him he was expected in the next five minutes. Someone in the background was cackling and making comments that kept making the bored voice sigh.

That had been seven minutes ago.

Now he was racing through the hallway, wondering why no one had come to get him like Patton's text had said. Had they forgotten? Was this a test? Had he failed?! Was he about to be sent home?!

Deep breaths, Virgil reminded himself. Deep breaths. No one needs you out of control tonight, least of all you. He tried to slow down, practising his best smile. In his hand his phone buzzed, the directions indicating a left turn and thank you to whoever the second unknown number had been, for sending him the location. He wondered if it was The Deceiver, and if this was, well… deceiving, but he had nothing else to go on and he _really didn't want to disappoint Patton_. That would be the _worst_.

Almost ten minutes after receiving the message- four and a half minutes after he was apparently expected- Virgil burst into the dining room. The noise inside dropped to silence as everyone turned to stare at him. And all he could do was stare back.

There was The Deceiver nearby, plucking at a bowl of olives; the Chaos Twins, Prince Chaos and Duke Chaos, lounging in their chairs, the wilder brother leaned halfway over into his twin's personal space in the middle of telling him some wild story; Dr. Truth, reading a book at one end of the table; but no Patton.

And they were all just… staring. Virgil felt his breath start to speed up and The Deceiver crossed quickly over to him, pressing a firm hand to his chest. "Breathe, kid. Just breathe. He's not here. He's not here," he repeated the sentence louder the second time and everyone in the room unfroze, returning to what they'd been doing before- in Dr. Truth's case- and getting up to approach the newcomer- in the twins' case.

"Hi, I'm Remus! So you're the new guy huh? What was your name again?" 

"Oh don't you ever read the briefings? We were literally sent it this morning! Don't mind him, he struggles with basic human tasks. Hi I'm Roman-"

" _You_ struggle with basic human tasks, at least I don't take seven hours in the shower every day, _Princey_ -"

"Don't call me that! Well that would explain why you _smell_ so much, wouldn't it?" The twins devolved into bickering, but the Duke was grinning and the Prince held a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. The Deceiver rolled his eyes and turned back to Virgil, squeezing his shoulder gently. 

"They'll be at that a while. How're you doing, kid? You survived our great leader?" 

Virgil frowned, not liking the tone there. "Of course, Patton was super nice. He did uh, say someone was going to come get me though...?"

"Ah yes," The Deceiver huffed, guiding him to a chair. "Sorry about that, it was meant to be Remus but Roman didn't want him going alone, and then they argued for so long that we thought it best to just use the comms."

Virgil took that in. "Right. And the change of time?" The shapeshifter smiled at him, waving a hand out across the room. 

"Why we wanted to be able to meet you on our own terms, before the grand inaugural dinner. Come, meet Logan. Logan? Look, an actual person to interact with, aren't you excited?" 

Dr. Truth- Logan- looked up from his book with a raised eyebrow, giving Virgil a spectacular Professor McGonagall impression as he looked at him over the top of his glasses. "Same as they always are, I imagine," the man said, notably to The Deceiver and not to Virgil. 

"Ah just as friendly as ever aren't you?" It would've been harsh, and Virgil was briefly worried at their dynamic, but both men broke into small smiles after looking at each other evenly for a moment longer. Logan turned to him, holding his hand out, looking a damn sight more welcoming. 

"I do apologise, we must get our kicks, as they say, where we can. I'm Logan, it's lovely to meet you Virgil. Though I wish it were under better circumstances." The superheroes shared a very quick glance. Virgil, watching closely, couldn't help but frown. 

"Are these... not good circumstances?" He asked slowly. 

Logan hesitated. Then he smiled wanly, shaking his head. "Of course they are. And we're delighted to have you. Remember- you can come to any of us at any time, even if you think you shouldn't. If you ever have anything you need to share then we will listen, we will trust you, and we will protect you." 

"As best we can," The Deceiver interjected, and the twins appeared at either shoulder, leaning on the shapeshifter in perfect symmetry. 

"That goes for us too. Anyone in this room will have your back. Don't forget it," Roman added, and Remus nodded, face more serious than Virgil had ever seen it before, even in the midst of battle. 

"Um, okay?" He said, when the quiet went on to long and it seemed they were looking for an answer. "When you say anyone in this room...?"

"Oh, don't bother with Father, he's _very_ busy!" Roman chuckled nervously. "He's got the worries of the entire world on his shoulders. But us second-raters? We've gotta stick together. Right?" Remus lay an arm around his shoulders and nodded. 

Virgil was getting anxious. He wanted to ask more questions, find out what it was they were dancing around, why they were all acting so... _odd_. But The Deceiver cut in before he could get his thoughts in order, shooing the twins back to their places and pulling out a chair for Virgil. 

He didn't miss the way Logan paused in wiping his mouth with a napkin when The Deceiver pulled his chair out, nor the way Roman and Remus's banter faltered momentarily and they both flicked their eyes between where the shapeshifter was sat and the empty chair at the head of the table. 

It would've been interesting if he wasn't so nervous about the implications. 

"Oh hey, what was your name? I heard everyone else except you," Virgil asked, turning to his neighbour. The Deceiver paused, delicately rearranging his cutlery. 

"Call me Dee. I prefer to keep my day-to-day life very private, I'm afraid. I would advise you do similar, if you can. There are some things that it isn't wise to be open about, especially not-"

"Evening folks!" Patton strode through the door, giving Virgil a sweet grin and a little wave and taking his place. "Gosh you're all quiet tonight! Where's the enthusiasm?!" 

"Hi Patton!" Remus said immediately, beaming at their leader. Roman chimed in as well and the table rippled with greetings. "How was your day?" 

"Why, thank you for asking, Remus, how polite!" Patton touched his chest, looking really pleased by the enquiry. Remus hadn't stopped smiling brightly, and maybe Virgil should've added that to the tally of things to feel weird about but actually he was feeling pretty good. He was just so excited to be there, and Patton was so lovely and calming and pleasant, what would he ever have to feel nervous about? Everything was fine!

As Patton rambled about his day they were served their dinner, fine dining that put Patton into raptures and gained slightly slower but equally effusive compliments from the rest of the table, Virgil included. Well it was pretty cool to eat like you were rich, alright? _That_ wasn't weird at all. Logan was the only quiet one, answering only direct questions and focusing intently on his food for the duration of the meal. He passed the salt when necessary and made eye contact when it was appropriate, listening when he needed to, but never engaging in the conversation apart from that. Remus was the main driver, but Roman kept up his end and Dee didn't do too badly. 

If Virgil hadn't been distracted by the food and his own delight then he may have noticed that none of them spoke to each other directly but only to Patton, who directed the conversation around the table deftly and confidently. But Virgil didn't noticed, caught up in it as he was. 

It all ended too soon, and yet he felt like he'd been there for hours, muffling a yawn into his hand with an embarrassed flush. 

"Oh you poor dear, you must be exhausted! Roman why don't you show Virgil back to his room so he can get some sleep, there's a good boy, I'm sure he'd appreciate it, wouldn't you Virgil?" Patton's eyes twinkled at him across the table and Virgil melted a bit. He nodded dreamily, wondering if that meant he'd made Patton proud... that he hadn't been a disappointment...

Roman didn't look quite so pleased by the prospect, however. He gripped the table tightly and his eyes were wide, imploring Virgil to... decline, maybe? Remus was barely breathing and Dee hastily interjected to offer his own help instead but Patton just laughed and they all shut up swiftly. "C'mon Roman, don't you want to be helpful? I thought you were going to start working on your selfishness," Patton sighed, and Virgil thought it was so heartbreaking how he tried to mask his hurt and sadness with a bright smile that so clearly wavered at the edges. Couldn't Roman see he was upsetting the sweetest man on the planet?! 

Roman apparently could, because as Virgil watched he swallowed thickly- good, he ought to feel bad- and stood up, head hanging. Remus clung to his hand for a moment until his twin moved away, and Virgil stood to meet him. 

"Um, thanks for dinner, this was really nice," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It was good to meet you all, and uh, learn how the comms work? Yeah. Thanks, bye." 

Dee dipped his head in acknowledgement and Logan's lips twitched in a very brief smile. Remus was still not really breathing but maybe that was separation anxiety or something? Virgil got it, mental health was hard, and he'd never really seen the twins apart so maybe they were just codependent like that. He wasn't going to judge. 

Patton got up to give him a big hug, walking with him to the door, Roman trailing after them. "I hope you had a good first day, Virgil. Your schedule will start tomorrow, but we'll ease you in don't you worry kiddo. Just um, just one question?" 

"Oh, sure," Virgil blinked. Patton placed a hand on his neck and looked at him closely. From behind Virgil heard the door open and Roman step out. "What's up?" 

"I'm just wondering what you meant by learning about the comms, that's all?" Patton replied. "How did that happen?" 

Virgil struggled to think back, thoughts sluggish. Probably from the long day and amazingly rich meal. "Um, oh because no one came to get me. They were arguing I think, so they called instead. It's all good though, I still got here early." 

The temperature in the room dropped about a thousand degrees and Virgil felt abruptly very awake. "No one came to get you? Because they were arguing?" Patton parroted, his warm blue eyes sharper than usual. "Well that makes sense then, doesn't it?" Virgil breathed as the warmth returned and Patton gave him another hug. "Have a great night's sleep Virgil. And thank you for being so honest. It's something I really value in people." 

Virgil nodded as he was released, stepping back out of the door to where Roman was waiting. 

They walked back quickly, Roman's long legs eating up the short journey and forcing Virgil to nearly jog to keep up. "In a rush to get rid of me?" Virgil tried to joke, wondering if they were there yet. 

Apparently not, as Roman turned to him sharply, a few doors down from his room. "What did he ask you?" He asked urgently, ignoring Virgil's own question. "Just before we left, what did he ask?" 

Add that to the worryingly long list of _things to overthink tonight_. "Oh just about why I learned about the comms. Y'know, because you guys were arguing too much to come and pick me up, so The- Dee had to uh, page? Me?" 

Roman's normally warm skin had gone pasty. "Um, you okay?" 

"Oh!" And his voice was about an octave higher than it should be. "Yes of course! I just remembered, I need to talk to Father before he has to go to bed. Nothing to worry about, but I really have to go. You got it from here? Good! Night!" He ran off back the way they'd come without another word. 

"Um, bye?" Virgil said in his wake, wondering if maybe there were just eccentricities that came with being a superhero. Maybe you were always just weird when your whole life felt like a comic book come to life... 

Maybe that was all. 

His brain wanted to run over everything that had happened during the day when he lay down to sleep a while later, desperate to try and start making sense (or nonsense, as it had a habit of doing) of everything he'd experienced. From weird warnings to strange reactions to offers of protection... It painted an odd and unsettling picture that he couldn't quite see clearly. 

But unfortunately for his anxiety the day really had been too much, and seconds after his head hit the perfectly stuff and cool pillow; Virgil was sound asleep. 

And unfortunately for them; the same could not be said for the other superheroes in the building. 

**Author's Note:**

> So far just Day 1 is done, I don't know if I'll continue with this in future but if anyone is interested let me know!


End file.
